Hi, my name is [PRESENTER
NAME]. I’m [PRESENTER ROLE]. Welcome to “Preventing the Spread of HIV Through
Injection Drug Use.” This video will teach you information that can save your
life, so please listen carefully and watch the whole video.

You’ve probably heard of
HIV/AIDS and know that it can severely affect your life and even kill you. But
what can you do to reduce your risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS?

This video explains ways to
reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting HIV through injection drug use,
saving your life, the life of any current or future sexual partner, and if you
are a woman, the lives of any future children. A longer video we have produced
called “Introduction to HIV and AIDS: What You Need to Know” covers more
detailed information, discusses other ways besides injection drug use that HIV
is transmitted, and explains how to reduce or eliminate those risks as well.

Sexual contact is the most common
way HIV is transmitted.However,
it is important to realize that the sharing of needles by injection drug users
actually poses a higher risk of HIV transmission than sexual contact.

HIV is present in the blood of
an infected person. If a person with HIV uses a needle to inject a drug, some
of their blood gets in and on the needle. If another person uses that same
dirty needle, the other person may contract HIV as a result.

Obviously, the best way to
avoid contracting HIV through injection drug use is to not inject drugs. Using
drugs has many risks, including the risk of other severe illnesses due to
impurities in the drugs and the risk of dying from an overdose. If you are
currently using drugs, please talk to a doctor about getting into a treatment
program that could help you stop.

If you choose to inject drugs,
the best way to avoid contracting HIV is to use your own needles and not share
them. You cannot contract HIV from a new, clean, unused, sterile needle that
you just removed from its package. Many places have needle exchange programs
where you can turn in dirty needles and get free new needles in return.

It is extremely dangerous to
use a needle that has already been used by another person to inject anything
into your body.As an absolute
last resort, if you are about to use a dirty needle to inject a drug, you can
clean the needle and syringe thoroughly inside and out with a bleach solution
and rinse it with water to reduce your risk of contracting HIV. In another
video, we demonstrate how to clean a syringe or needle using bleach.

No matter who you are, you are
a valuable individual, and your life matters as do the lives of those in your
community. Take care of yourself and those around you. Make healthy choices
that eliminate or reduce your risk of contracting HIV.

Thank you for your help in the
fight against HIV. This is [PRESENTER NAME].

This script was reviewed for
accuracy and approved by Becky Kuhn, M.D. on April 14, 2007.